Doctors and clinicians are mandated to report anyone to the Firearm Owners Identification Mental Health Reporting System who poses a "clear and present da...

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Need to knowDoctors and clinicians are mandated to report anyone to the Firearm Owners Identification Mental Health Reporting System who poses a "clear and present danger" to himself or others.What's a clear and present danger?Anyone who communicates a serious threat of physical violence against an identifiable victim or poses a clear and imminent risk of serious physical injury to himself, herself or another person as determined by a physician, clinical psychologist or qualified examiner.In addition, someone who threatens violence or suicide or other threatening actions as determined by a physician, clinical psychologist, qualified examiner, school administrator or law enforcement official.

ROCKFORD - Illinois' new concealed-carry law includes provisions meant to stop people with mental illness from packing heat, but what it means for doctors and "qualified examiners" is just coming into focus.

Physicians, therapists and counselors are required to report anyone who represents a "clear and present danger" to self or others to a state database. It's a provision meant to help make sure the mentally disturbed, the psychologically unstable and others who pose a known danger do not carry guns legally.

"The awareness is out there that (the Illinois health care community) would have to do something," said Tom Green, spokesman for the Illinois Department of Human Services. "Now the next stop is to educate everyone about how it will work."

The mental health reporting system, administered by IDHS, collects information about anyone in Illinois who has been declared mentally disabled by a court or has been determined by a qualified examiner to be a danger.

Reporting is confidential and complies with laws regulating the confidentiality of health information, Green said.

The information would show up during required background checks that are part of the process for obtaining a five-year concealed-carry license. The license allows an individual to carry a loaded firearm in public or in a vehicle, although numerous restrictions apply.

Sixteen hours of training and a Firearm Owners Identification card are required to apply for the license. New licenses are expected to be issued by the Illinois State Police for the first time in mid-March.

The state police are responsible for investigating and determining whether an FOID card or concealed-carry license should be revoked once someone is reported as being mentally disabled or a danger to self or others.

IDHS maintains the database under the FOID Mental Health Reporting System. But until now, a limited number of hospitals and clinicians were required to report.

The law expands the number of those mandated to report from about 100 facilities and several hundred clinicians to 250,000 licensed professionals in Illinois, including psychiatrists, nurses with mental health experience and marriage counselors.

IDHS then cross-references those reported with the Illinois State Police FOID database.

Sen. Dave Syverson said he was confident that health professionals would act appropriately to ensure that only those who should be reported are indeed submitted to the system.

Concerns have been raised about the mandatory-reporting requirement deterring an unstable person from seeking treatment.

"It was hotly debated because so much of it seemed like a judgment call," Syverson said. "And you don't want people not seeking treatment because they are afraid their name may go on some list."